Tension locking member for an earring

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a tension locking member for an earring, more particularly, a tension locking member for an earring useful for removably attaching the earring to an earlobe, comprising a plate spring having an embossed projection at one side, wherein the plate spring is constructed and assembled to allow the embossed projection to be hooked and supported by two fixing pieces in a movable manner when the fixing pieces formed on both ends of the tension locking member are bent and supported in a fixed position so that it can protect the plate spring from being detached or released and, at the same time, to inhibit or reduce local stress load on the plate spring generated by repeatedly using the tension locking member to essentially prevent partial cutting of the plate spring, and obtain a tension effect for the tension locking member even by slight force, thereby, accomplishing smooth and enhanced wearing sense.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tension locking goods for earring, more particularly, a tension locking goods for earring useful for removably attaching the earring to an earlobe, comprising a plate spring having an embossed projection at one side, wherein the plate spring is constructed and assembled to allow the embossed projection to be hooked and supported by two fixing pieces in a movable manner when the fixing pieces formed on both ends of the tension locking goods are bent and supported in a fixed position so that it can protect the plate spring from being detached or released and, at the same time, to inhibit or reduce local stress load on the plate spring generated by repeatedly using the tension locking goods to essentially prevent partial cutting of the plate spring, and obtain tension effect for the tension locking goods even by slight force, thereby, accomplishing smooth and enhanced wearing sense.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is well known that there are two kinds of earrings including one to be put on an earlobe without a hole and the other for the earlobe with a hole to wear the earring. Particularly, such earring has a tension locking goods possible to attach and detach the earring to the earlobe.

FIGS. 4 and 5 in the accompanying drawings illustrate conventional tension locking goods for the earring.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tension locking goods 20 comprises a main body 22 of the locking goods which includes a fixing hole 27 integrated at one end to be hooked by a fixed end 16 of an earring body 10 while, on the other end thereof, a hinge hole 25 a being formed through spring guidance walls 25 bent inside of the main body 22 and opposited each other; and a plate spring 30 endowing tension effect to the tension locking goods 20 between the spring guidance walls 25, wherein the plate spring 30 has one end fixed by two fixing pieces 23 formed by bending both sides of the main body 22 of the locking goods and two supporting pieces 24.

Such constructed tension locking goods 20 in prior art has the plate spring 30 mounted inside the main body 22 to press and fix the plate spring 30 by only fixing piece 23 of a part constructing a fixed support, and the supporting pieces 24 being apart from the plate spring 30 and supported at a desirable space. Accordingly, by repeatedly applying tension force of the plate spring 30, fatigue stress is locally generated in the vicinity of the fixing piece 23 as the fixed support.

Tension effect of such plate spring 30 starts at the fixing piece 23 as the fixed support during initial working for widening the tension locking goods 20, then, progresses on the supporting piece 24 as a starting point to intend distribution of the fatigue stress, however, it was found that the supporting piece 24 represented no remarkable effect. In addition, since such conventional tension locking goods 20 was under the fatigue caused by the tension effect of the plate spring 30 repeatedly applied, the goods 20 was locally cut nearby the fixing piece 23 as the fixing support. Also, the goods rather had less force for fixing the plate spring 30 since only the fixing piece 23 had a role of press-fixing the goods 20, and exposed a problem not to vary or increase the tension effect of the tension locking goods 20 by means of the plate spring 30.

Such problem may reduce tension effect due to fatigue limitation of the plate spring 30 as it repeatedly conducts detaching/attaching movement (that is, rotational motion) of the tension locking goods 20, whereby it may cause lowering putting-on sense of the earring 1 to lead to a trouble that the earring 1 put on the earlobe comes loose and, thereby, being released from the earlobe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention is purposed to solve the above captioned problems and has an object to provide a tension locking goods for earring useful for detachably wearing the earring, comprising a plate spring having an embossed projection at one side, wherein the plate spring is constructed and assembled to allow the embossed projection to be hooked and supported by two fixing pieces in a movable manner when the fixing pieces formed on both ends of the tension locking goods are bent and supported in a fixed position so that it can protect the plate spring from being detached or released and, at the same time, to inhibit or reduce local stress load on the plate spring generated by repeatedly using the tension locking goods to essentially prevent partial cutting of the plate spring, and obtain tension effect for the tension locking goods even by slight force, thereby, accomplishing smooth and enhanced wearing sense.

To achieve the above object of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an earring with a tension locking goods according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a body part of the earring coupled with the tension locking goods according to the present invention;

FIG. 3(a) is a development status view illustrating a body of the tension locking goods according to the present invention developed before the body is assembled with the plate spring;

FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view of the plate spring according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a development status view illustrating a body of the conventional tension locking goods developed before the body is assembled with the plate spring; and

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the conventional tension locking goods and a body of the earring assembled together.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will be described in more detail by reference to the above drawings which are presented for purposes of illustration but should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention thereto.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an earring coupled with a tension locking goods according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a body part of the earring and the tension locking goods of the present invention assembled together. FIG. 3(a) is a development status view of a body of the tension locking goods according to the present invention developed before the body is coupled with the plate spring; and FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view of the plate spring according to the present invention. Hereinafter, parts of the tension locking goods substantially identical to those of the conventional locking goods are illustrated with the same numerals.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, an earring 1 comprising a tension locking goods 20 rotatably coupled with a body part 10 of the earring by a hinge 12 and expressing tension effect by a plate spring 30, wherein the plate spring is coupled at a desirable position of inner side of a locking body 22 formed with two fixing pieces 23 having semicircular space parts 23 a at both sides of the locking body and has an embossed projection 32 at one side, which is constructed and assembled to allow the embossed projection 32 to be hooked and supported by the fixing pieces 23 in a movable manner when the fixing pieces 23 formed on both ends of the tension locking goods 20 are bent and supported in a fixed position.

Such fixing pieces 23 are shown in FIG. 3(a) illustrating the pieces in a development status before bending the pieces into the locking body 22. The fixing pieces 23 formed with the semicircular spaces 23 a at both sides of the locking body 22 are faced to each other to form an entirely circular hook space 26 to be fitted with the embossed projection 32 when a bending process is conducted to joint the locking body 22 and the plate spring 30, thereby forming an assembly of the locking body 22 and the plate spring 30. In this case, the embossed projection 32 is fitted into and couple to lightly move within the circular space 26 formed by connecting two fixing pieces 23.

Such hooked and supported plate spring 30 is not secured by a press-fixing process commonly applied to conventional plate springs, but assembled by the embossed projection 32 fitted into the hook space 26 formed by the fixing pieces to lightly move within the space 26. The embossed projection 32 freely moves or flows within the circular space 26 formed by bending the fixing pieces 23 and is hooked and supported whenever tension is applied to the plate spring 30 due to movement of the earring body part 10, whereby it allows the plate spring 30 not to be detached nor released from the locking body during its use.

The present invention constructed as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the earring 1 is attached to an earlobe by pulling the tension locking goods 20 outside to be widen around the hinge 12 in the earring body part 10 (see an imaginary line in FIG. 2), then, pushing the tension locking goods 20 to a fixed end 16 to return the tension locking goods 20 through tension recovery action of the plate spring 30 to allow the fixed end 16 to be fitted into a fixing hole 27 formed at one side of the locking body 22.

Herein, the tension recovery action of the plate spring 30 is more efficient than of conventional springs.

Briefly, if the tension locking goods 20 is pulled outside to be widen around the hinge 12 on the earring body part 10, the tension recovery action of the plate spring 30 in an initial widening motion process is generated on the fixing pieces 23 and, in turn, the tension supporting piece 14 of the earring body part 10 supports the other end of the plate spring 30 to crease a small bending (that is, the tension recovery action) on the plate spring 30, thereby being dismissed from its orginal position. At this time, the embossed projection 32 formed at one side of the plate spring 30 can do a littly free sliding-reciprocation within the hook space 26 made by the fixing pieces 23, whereby the plate spring 30 is not under fatigue stress caused by the tension recovery action in any local parts, rather receives the tension recovery action over entire portion of the plate spring 30 and provide a dispersion effect evenly dispersing the fatigue stress without excessive load to any specified parts, whereby it prevents partial cutting of the fixing pieces 23 as the fixed support due to the fatigue stress caused by the tension recovery action of the plate spring 30 repeatedly applied like as in conventional springs, to result in accomplishing noticeable improvement of reliability for earring products.

In addition, the present invention has advantages of protecting the plate spring 30 from being cut out in partial and increasing tension recovery action, thereby making it possible to be substituted for common low quality of plate springs.

As clear from the above description, the present invention provides a tension locking goods for earring useful for removably attaching the earring to the earlobe, comprising a plate spring having an embossed projection at one side, wherein the plate spring is constructed and assembled to allow the embossed projection to be hooked and supported by the fixing pieces in a movable manner to protect the plate spring from being detached or released and, at the same time, to inhibit or reduce local stress load on the plate spring generated by repeatedly using the tension locking goods to essentially inhibit partial cutting of the plate spring, and obtain tension effect for the tension locking goods even by slight force, thereby, accomplishing smooth and enhanced wearing sense.

It is further understood by those skilled in the art that the forgoing description is a preferred embodiment and that various changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. 

1. A tension locking member for an earring connected to a plate spring at one end of an earring body part by a hinge and rotatably opened and closed, wherein the plate spring has an embossed projection at one side to be fitted into a circular hook space formed between two fixing pieces when the plate spring is coupled with the tension locking member.
 2. The tension locking member according to claim 1, wherein the embossed projection is fitted into and coupled to lightly move within the circular hook space.
 3. An earring, comprising: an earring body part; and a locking member pivotally attached to said main body by a hinge, said locking member including a main body and a plate spring attached thereto, said plate spring including a projection which is received in a hook space provided in said main body to secure said plate spring to said main body.
 4. The earring according to claim 3, wherein the projection comprises an embossed portion of the plate spring. 